Welt opened the old pamphlet. His mind began syncing Cheon Donghwan's memories with his new body—Welt. Slowly, he could read.
The first page was titled "Of the Interface", and it opened with an eccentric line: "That which comes from beyond the world is older than the world itself."
Welt read it, not fully understanding the opening sentence. His thoughts were fixed on survival. He needed to adapt quickly—to become an Evolver. The book divided Evolvers into several paths:
Cultivation Path: Focused on martial arts, infused with magical abilities. Similar to the Murim world.
Pure Magus Path: Uses magic directly, without physical strength.
Allmanship Path: Mastery over multiple disciplines, from swordmanship to spearmanship techniques to other skills, all inseparable from magic in this world.
The rest of the paths were unreadable. There was only one instruction available under the Cultivation Path: a technique called "Bizarre Dao of the Outers." He didn't understand what it meant, but it sounded terrifying. To perform it, he needed specific materials.
"One healing potion mixed with gold, consumed alongside the blood of the Antlered Tree. Then meditate until a nadir forms, creating a nadir circuit throughout the body. Requires an entire day of stillness, any movement, even an inch, results in failure." That was the book's instruction.
Healing potion? Gold? Antlered Tree blood? Could such bizarre things really be ingested? Do I have to steal the materials and search for gold to pull this off?
Welt peered out his room's window. An old bank stood in view. Its security system seemed lax, perhaps because thefts were rare here.
He took a cloth, planning to rob the bank that very night. He prepared additional cloths to carry the money.
Late into the night, Welt waited until the streets were deserted. He slipped out through his window. On the dark, cobbled road, he had to move carefully. The bank ahead had several access points.
First, he could enter through a window, but the risk was high. Guards were surely patrolling. Second, he could use the darkness to his advantage. Though this era had candles, their light only reached so far. Even if guards carried lanterns, the range was merely five to eight meters.
Wearing a cloth mask, Welt attempted to sneak in. Yet it was as if an invisible wall blocked him. He tried forcing the door open but failed.
Was this the power of an Evolver? Welt was confused. He couldn't pull this off without Evolver abilities.
Quickly, before the guards noticed anything strange, Welt darted to an abandoned building nearby, one on the verge of collapse, covered in moss. He saw guards begin their patrol. His plan: follow directly behind them.
He took off his shoes and crept behind the guards, step by silent step. He nearly got caught multiple times. As a mere human, he was vulnerable. But luckily, Welt found a gap. These guards were low-level Evolvers, complacent, trusting their superior strength.
After sneaking inside, he hid in an untouched spot. Slowly, he adapted to the darkness and discovered a room labeled "Administration." He took as much money as he could while considering the consequences. He held nine gryn, enough to cover some costly needs.
But he had forgotten one thing: if he came in with the guards, he had to leave with them. He couldn't repeat the same mistake.
"At least this should be enough..." Welt whispered.
Suddenly, footsteps rushed toward him.
Welt nearly panicked. Holding his breath, he ran down the bank's corridor, hiding as the situation escalated.
"Did you hear that?" one of the five guards asked.
"Yeah. Clear as day!" another responded.
Before Welt could react, a guard's face appeared in front of him.
"He's here! Hurry!"
Welt bolted, his sprint erratic but nimble. Though the guards were trained, the small and agile body of a child was harder to catch.
But that agility came at a price. His stamina quickly drained. Exhausted, he hid in a filthy, unused bathroom, likely abandoned due to some long-forgotten incident.
"Where do you think you're going, kid?"
Welt wanted to run but had no energy left. He was caught.
"Hands up, kid," barked a burly guard.
Welt complied, raising his hands. They searched and interrogated him.
But they found nothing unusual. He was released, though not before receiving a harsh physical punishment.
Damn… that was close. Way too close.
Welt returned to his room and collapsed into sleep.
The next day, he prepared for the next step. He went to the toilet, bringing tissues and water. He performed an inevitable human act, eliminating the food he'd consumed earlier. Then, grimly, he searched through the waste for gryn coins. He found nine. After washing his hands thoroughly, he flushed everything else.
Phew… that was close. I only remembered at the last moment, gold doesn't dissolve in acid.
He cleaned the gryn thoroughly to eliminate any stench, more for hygiene than appearance. Then Welt headed to the Black Market, face covered as always. He disguised his short height by pretending to be a dwarf.
The market bustled with activity. He looked for his materials, speaking as little as possible: healing potion and Antlered Tree blood. He already had the gold.
He approached a stall selling strange liquids. "Old man, how much for one healing potion?"
"Ah, good choice! Just 2.5 gryn, cheaper than the others!"
"Can I get it for 2 gryn? Your price is too high," Welt replied.
"Impossible! If you can't afford it, go elsewhere!" snapped the gray-haired merchant. His sharp eyes glared behind thick glasses. Around him, bottles filled with liquids of various colors and viscosities shimmered strangely. Some smoked. Others glowed. The air reeked of herbs, metal, and something unidentifiable.
Welt watched him a moment. This old man wasn't going to budge. "Fine. 2.5 gryn."
He handed over the cleaned coins. The merchant weighed them in his palm, then nodded. A small bottle of moss-green liquid was passed to him.
"Best healing potion you'll find, straight from the source."
Welt took it. The liquid inside looked thick, glowing dimly. It wasn't what he'd imagined, but it matched the book's instructions. "Do you sell Antlered Tree blood?"
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You know that stuff? Not a common item, kid. Only high-level Evolvers seek it out, or the truly desperate." He examined Welt closely, as if trying to see past his mask. "What do you need it for?"
Welt felt a slight tension. Information about the Antlered Tree wasn't easy to come by. "Research," he replied.
The old man snorted. "Research? In that tiny body? You've got guts. I have a little, but it's expensive." He named a price, five gryn.
Welt frowned beneath his mask. That was nearly all he had left. "Can you go lower?"
"For something this rare? No. That's the lowest price. Antlered Tree blood isn't easy to come by. The tree grows in dangerous places, guarded by beings not of this world. And only a few know how to harvest it without losing its Essence."
Beings not of this world? Welt caught that phrase. He remembered the line in the book: "That which comes from beyond the world is older than the world itself." A connection was forming.
Welt considered it. Five gryn, for something rare and dangerous. It was crucial for the Bizarre Dao of the Outers. "Fine," he said, handing over the rest of his gryn.
The old man smiled thinly. He reached under the table, producing a small vial filled with dark red liquid. The blood seemed alive, pulsing softly, radiating a cold aura that pierced the skin.
"Here it is. Careful. Don't spill it."
Welt took the vial. It felt both cold and hot at once. He stored both the healing potion and Antlered Tree blood inside his clothes, close to his skin. Too valuable to carry loosely.
"Anything else you need, kid?" the old man asked, still watching him closely.
"No. Thank you." Welt turned away, slipping into the crowd.
He wandered the Black Market, passing stalls filled with strange goods: organs from unknown creatures, intricate talismans, hand-drawn maps with cryptic writing, even weapons that looked ancient and deadly. The air buzzed with whispers, haggling, and unidentifiable scents. This was a lawless place, where the bizarre was traded freely.
Now, where could he perform the ritual safely? It required a full day without movement. He couldn't do it at an inn, too risky. He needed a hidden place, free from prying eyes and interruptions.
His thoughts returned to the old hut in the forest, where he first woke. Isolated, far from the city. Perfect.
Welt decided to head back. But leaving the city undetected wouldn't be easy. He had little food or water, and night was falling once again.
As he exited the Black Market, the city's atmosphere changed. The streets grew brighter. The buildings more grand. He returned to the Nine Cruches District. As he walked, he kept planning. He needed to learn more, about the Order of Essence Guardians, about the Eastern Grand Consul Cledestine, and especially about the World's Essence itself. The more he knew, the better his chances of survival.
He passed a notice board covered in flyers. One caught his eye: a wanted poster. A sketch of a man's face, with bold text: "WANTED: Shadow Path Evolver, LEVEL 3." Below was a short description of his abilities and the reward offered.
Level? So there are ranks too.
It confirmed this world's intricate structure. Evolvers weren't only divided by path, but also by level. The more he learned, the more questions arose.
Welt kept walking, passing a steam train station. Thick smoke poured from the locomotive's chimney, its roar deafening. People bustled on and off with bags and trunks. This was the main form of transportation. Maybe he could take the train out.
But he had no money left, only a few brithe from orange change. Not enough for a long-distance ticket. He would have to walk.
He headed toward the city's edge. Houses thinned. Roads grew quiet. The air cooled, and the sun began to fade. Tree silhouettes appeared in the distance.
Hours later, darkness blanketed everything. Welt reached the forest's edge. Night insects chirped. The wind carried the scent of damp leaves. He entered the woods, following faint paths he remembered.
That night, he didn't sleep. He sat against a tree, checking the potion and Antlered Tree blood. He read the book again and again, trying to memorize every detail of the Bizarre Dao of the Outers ritual.
Hunger gnawed at him, but he ignored it. His focus was the ritual. Tomorrow, he would begin. A bold step toward power.
He closed his eyes, visualizing each step: drinking the bitter liquid, feeling the World's Essence flow, forming nadir circuits in his body. He had to succeed. Failure meant death, or being trapped in this powerless body.
Dawn broke, casting pale light through the leaves. The forest remained damp and cold. Welt stood, body stiff and hungry, but resolve burning inside him. He found the old hut, still dark and eerie as he remembered.
He entered. Dust flew. Spiderwebs swayed. He cleared space in the center, enough to lie down. He placed the book beside him.
Taking a deep breath, Welt took the healing potion and the Antlered Tree blood. He opened both. A strange scent mixed. He dropped his cleaned gold gryn into the potion, then poured in the blood. The mixture churned—turning into a deep, shimmering purple.
There was no turning back.
Welt drank the mixture. It tasted bitter, like dirt and metal, but a warm sensation spread down his throat. As it entered his body, a strange energy surged, cold, yet burning, rushing through him. It wasn't pain. It was something alien, crawling under his skin.
He lay flat on the floor, just as the book instructed. Eyes closed, he focused on the sensation within. The World's Essence. This had to be it.
The feeling grew stronger—pulsing, moving. New paths formed inside him, like unseen circuits. His muscles twitched. His skin itched. Cold sweat coated his brow. He had to stay still. One inch of movement, and it would all be over.
Time passed. One hour. Two. Four. Every minute stretched into eternity. The sounds of the forest faded,nreplaced by his own heartbeat and the swirling essence inside him. He could feel the energy trying to burst out, but he held it in.
The circuits became clearer, forming intricate patterns he somehow sensed as part of himself. This was the nadir. The foundation.
Evening came. Sunlight through the cracks dimmed. Hunger and thirst stabbed at him, but he ignored them. Focused.
The sensation peaked. A powerful surge, then silence. Not emptiness, but peace. The energy had settled, fully integrated. The circuits were now part of him, like new blood vessels.
Welt opened his eyes. Everything felt different. He could sense the energy around him, faint, but real. As if a veil over his senses had been lifted. He breathed deeply, feeling the air with new awareness.
He rose slowly. His body felt light, yet a fire simmered beneath his skin. He raised a fist. This was it. He was an Evolver. Cultivation Path. Bizarre Dao of the Outers.
The ritual had succeeded.
He stepped outside the hut. The forest looked the same, but through new eyes. Every leaf, every branch glowed faintly with Essence. He was now part of this world, connected in ways he never imagined.
But this power was only the beginning. He was still low-level, perhaps even beneath the bank guards. He had to train. Master the Bizarre Dao of the Outers. Level up.
Welt felt no euphoria. Only a deepening resolve. This was step one of a thousand miles. This new world awaited, filled with threats and mysteries he had to unravel.
He would not stop.